If testing indicates a diagnosis of asthma, a physician is likely to classify the asthma into one of four categories, and to treat the condition accordingly. The four conditions of asthma are:

• Mild intermittent. Symptoms appear up to two days a week and two nights a month.
  
  
• Mild persistent. Symptoms appear more than two nights a month and more than twice a week, but not more than once in a single day.
  
  
• Moderate persistent. Symptoms occur every day and more than one night a week.
  
  
• Severe persistent. Symptoms occur continuously throughout the day and frequently at night.

Periodic testing following a diagnosis may be used to re-classify a patient whose asthma symptoms have worsened in frequency or intensity. This is important because the various medications and treatments for asthma are determined, in part, by the category of the patient’s asthma.

For instance, asthma medications fall into two categories:

• Quick-relief medications. These are designed to instantly relieve the symptoms of an asthma attack. Patients with mild intermittent or mild persistent asthma may receive a quick-relief medication to aid them when their asthma flares up.
  
  
• Long-term-control medications. These are designed to minimize inflammation and prevent asthma flare-ups before they occur. Those with moderate or severe asthma are more likely to need both quick-relief and long-term-control medications.

Management of asthma over time includes using medications properly, as well as reducing the risk of asthma attacks. This includes:

• Reducing exposure to environmental triggers, such as pollens, molds, secondhand tobacco smoke and animal dander.
  
  
• Encouraging a healthy lifestyle that includes proper rest, good nutrition and regular exercise.
  
  
• Combating obesity. For reasons not fully understood, there appears to be a correlation between obesity and increased incidence of asthma.